International Translation Day is held on September 30 each year on the birthday of St. Jerome, the famous Bible translator who some people in the field consider their patron saint, although sponsors insist the day is purely secular and non-denominational.

It is estimated that there are six to seven thousand languages spoken around the globe and facilitating communication by translating from one language to another is among the oldest professions in the world. The demands on translation and interpretation professionals are ever increasing, with added complexity in the environment calling for narrow and deep specializations as well as broad general knowledge and cultural understanding.The theme of this year’s International Translation Day, “Translation Quality for a Variety of Voices,” fits perfectly with the work being done every day at the Monterey Institute, where the broad variety of established and customized language programs are designed to prepare students for the complexity and demands of the modern world.